Two students at Sunshine Orchard Learning Center share what this K-12 school, located on the border between Thailand and a war-torn section of Myanmar (Burma), means to them. It’s a place to discover joy in Jesus, gain an education and escape violence and persecution.
Lah Meh Htoo
My name is Lah Meh Htoo, I’m 15 years old and in seventh grade at Sunshine Orchard. I am from Brigade 5 in Karen State, Burma, a place where war and conflict are part of daily life. My second year at Sunshine Orchard brings a sense of stability and peace into my life.
As a child I was asked to become a child soldier, entrusted with a gun to protect my family and village from attack by Burmese soldiers and airstrikes. The sound of shelling, mortars and approaching airplanes are part of my childhood memories. Though my village has not been hit by airstrikes, other surrounding villages have, and we had to be ready to flee at any moment.
Relatives of mine sent their children to Sunshine Orchard, and my parents decided to send me here too to receive an education and be in a safer place.
In my home, nights are spent in the jungle, seeking refuge from the terror of nighttime airstrikes. We boys and young men are trained to defend our community. Education becomes a challenge amidst the harsh rainy season, when studying in the jungle tests our perseverance. With no access to medical care and scarce basic necessities, we face hunger and endure much sickness.
Yet, amidst the turmoil, students like me from conflict-ridden areas find solace at Sunshine Orchard, where we’re free to pursue our education. For us, education isn’t just about acquiring knowledge; it’s a beacon of hope for a better future—a flicker of light in the darkness of conflict, oppression and war.
Htoo Say
My name is Htoo Say. I am 19 years old and in 10th grade. I arrived at Sunshine Orchard when 12 years old. I grew up in Karen State, Burma. My childhood was marked by war. My village, in Brigade 5, was besieged by the horrors of war. Burmese soldiers would often attack, forcing my family and neighbors to run for shelter in the jungle, where we would remain until we received word that the soldiers had left.
I was afraid as a child because I knew of the torture, rape and killing of villagers at the hands of the Burmese soldiers. I was also afraid of the landmines that the soldiers planted to keep us from returning home. I remember my childhood friend being severely injured from stepping on a landmine.
My parents, in an effort to shield me and my younger siblings from harm, sent us as boarding students to Baw Tha Raw primary school, which is a satellite school of Sunshine Orchard in Karen State and in a safer area than my home village.
I studied at Baw Tha Raw primary school until the third grade, after which Merciful, the school’s principal, sent me to study at Sunshine Orchard. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to learn about God, to live and study in a safe environment, and for the warm reception extended to me by the Adams family, who have welcomed me to live with them.
While I continue my education at Sunshine Orchard, my siblings remain enrolled at Baw Tha Raw school, which has expanded from a third-grade institution to now encompassing up to the eighth grade.
Note: Beneath Htoo Say’s brave facade lies a heart burdened by the weight of separation. As she recounts her harrowing past to the Adams family, tears stream down her face, each drop a testament to the scars etched upon her soul. For years, she has been estranged from her family, the distance a painful reminder of the fractured world she left behind.